System for controlled distribution of user profiles over a network

ABSTRACT

An information management and distribution system is disclosed. The information management and distribution system facilitates the controlled exchange of contact information over a network. The system can support one or more of creation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. In one embodiment, the information management and distribution system can include a networked server system accessible by remote user devices via the network, and at least one database maintained by the networked server system and storing content information and exchange settings of registered users.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/258,291, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION OFONE OR MORE DISTINCT PROFILES FOR A USER”, and filed on Oct. 24, 2008now U.S. Pat. No. 7,743,100, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/840,968, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FORCONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION OVER A NETWORK”, and filed onAug. 19, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/170,370, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTIONOF INFORMATION OVER A NETWORK”, and filed on Jun. 28, 2005 now U.S. Pat.No. 7,277,911, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/417,456, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTIONOF CONTACT INFORMATION OVER A NETWORK”, and filed on Oct. 13, 1999 nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,003,546, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/104,311, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLEDDISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION OVER A NETWORK”, and filed on Oct. 13, 1998.The disclosures of each of these related applications are incorporatedherein by reference for all purposes.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the management and exchange ofinformation and, more particularly, to information management andexchange over networks.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is very common today for individuals to distribute or exchangebusiness cards with others. Normally, the distribution or exchange ofbusiness cards occurs during the course of business; however, suchdistributions or exchanges can also occur in more personal settings.

Business cards contain information pertaining to an individual who isnormally associated with a business entity. The information on businesscards typically includes a company name, an individual's name, title,phone number, facsimile number, mail address, and email address.Business cards thus record the information that is needed to not onlyidentify but also contact the individuals represented by the businesscards.

One problem with conventional approaches to distributing or exchangingbusiness cards is that the information on the business cards oftenbecomes outdated after their distribution. Typically, business cardsbecome outdated when the individuals move offices, change employers,obtain promotions, etc. When the information on a particular businesscard does become outdated, the information no longer facilitates thecontacting of the individual associated with the particular businesscard. The outdated information is often misleading. In general, thepersons receiving the business cards cannot determine from the businesscards whether the information on the business cards is still accurate.

Another problem with conventional business cards is that theirdistribution is manual. As a result, for one's business card to bedistributed, the business card needs to be physically handed to anotherperson. Also, when a revised business card with updated information isto be distributed, often there is no way to know who currently holds anolder version of the business card. As a result, inaccurate businesscards remain in circulation long after being outdated.

Thus, there is a need for improved approaches to automaticallydistribute and update contact information.

SUMMARY

Broadly speaking, the invention pertains to an information managementand distribution system. The information management and distributionsystem include a client-side application and a server application thatinteract to facilitate the controlled exchange of contact informationover a network. The client-side application can provide creation anddesign, rolodex, exchange, and update features. The informationmanagement and distribution system can also include a corporateadministrator application.

One aspect of the invention pertains to techniques for electronicallydistributing contact information over a network in a controlled manner.In one embodiment, the contact information includes information that isuseful for identifying or contacting a registered user (e.g., person orentity). As an example, the contact information for a registrant caninclude name, telephone number, facsimile number, mail address, andemail address. When the registration pertains to a business, the contactinformation can also include a title, business name, and a UniversalResource Locator (URL) to an associated business website. A registereduser that has received contact information pertaining to anotherregistered user can contact the registered user using the contactinformation.

Additionally, since contact information is dynamic and needs to bemaintained, another aspect of the invention is the automatic update ofthe previously distributed contact information. Hence, should thecontract information change after its distribution to certain registeredusers, then the updated contact information is able to be distributed tothe certain registered users in an automated manner.

Still another aspect of the invention is that contact information can bedistributed to registered users in a common format. A common format forthe distributed contact information can be used to facilitate aconsistent type of contact information as well as a consistentpresentation of the contact information to registered users. In oneexample, the common format is provided by a business card arrangement.Further, the common format facilitates the association or attachment ofadditional information to the basic contact information. This additionalinformation can include a wide variety of items. For example, theadditional information can include text, data, hyper links, audioobjects, video objects, etc. The additional information can also be usedfor a variety of purposes, including announcements, messages,notifications, and advertisements.

Yet another aspect of the invention is the corporate administratorapplication. The corporate administrator application enables anadministrator to control the use of corporate (i.e., business entity)information. The corporate administrator application can include many ofthe features associated with the client-side application, includingcreation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. Forexample, the administrator may wish to update the corporate informationthat has been previously distributed or exchanged. In addition, thecorporate administrator application can facilitate registration ofemployees of a business entity with the information management anddistribution system. The corporate administrator application can alsodisable certain employees from further use of the corporate information.

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as amethod, an apparatus, a computer readable medium, and a computer system.Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

As a computer system that supports controlled exchange over a network ofdigital content information pertaining to a plurality of users, oneembodiment of can, for example, include a networked server systemaccessible by remote user devices via the network; and one or moredatabases maintained by the networked server system and storing contentinformation and exchange settings of registered users. The networkedserver system can be programmed, via executable program instructions,to: (a) receive and store in the one or more databases the contentinformation provided by a first user for association with the firstuser, the content information comprising profile information about thefirst user and additional multimedia content of a plurality of datatypes, the content information comprising multiple data items which eachcorrespond to a different subset of the content information; (b) receiveand store in the one or more databases the exchange settings provided bythe first user for specifying access to one or more of the multiple dataitems of the content information to one or more categories of requestingusers so as to define one or more user profiles containing those of themultiple data items specified as being accessible to a particularcategory of the requesting users; (c) receive a request from a seconduser to permit the exchange of content information with the first user;(d) send an electronic notification of the requested exchange to thefirst user; (e) provide an option for the first user to permit therequested exchange of the content information; and (f) receivepermission for the requested exchange from the first user; and (g)establish the second user as a contact of the first user and provide thefirst user and the second user access to each of their respective userprofiles via the network, wherein the second user is provided access tothe particular user profile previously specified by the first user'sexchange settings for a category of requesting users to which the seconduser has been associated by the first user.

As a computer system that supports controlled exchange over a network ofdigital content information pertaining to a plurality of users, anotherembodiment of can, for example, include a networked server systemaccessible by remote user devices via the network; and at least onedatabase maintained by the networked server system and storing contentinformation and exchange settings of registered users. The networkedserver system can be programmed, via executable program instructions,to: (a) receive and store in the at least one database the contentinformation provided by a first user for association with the firstuser, the content information profiling the first user, the contentinformation comprising multiple data items which each correspond to adifferent subset of the content information; (b) receive and store inthe at least one database the exchange settings provided by the firstuser for specifying access to one or more of the multiple data items ofthe content information to one or more categories of requesting users soas to define one or more user profiles containing those of the multipledata items specified as being accessible to a particular category of therequesting users; (c) receive a request from a second user to permit theexchange of content information with the first user; (d) determinewhether the first user permits the request exchange of contentinformation as requested by the second user; and (e) establish thesecond user as a contact of the first user and provide the first userand the second user access to each of their respective user profiles viathe network, wherein the second user is provided access to theparticular user profile previously specified by the first user'sexchange settings for a category of requesting users to which the seconduser has been associated by the first user.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, andin which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network information management anddistribution system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server machine according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a local machine according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of automatic contact information distributionprocessing according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of client on-line registration processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow diagrams of server registration processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of general client-side application processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of local registration processing according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of business card creation processing accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of rolodex processing according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of requestor exchange processing according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams of requested party exchangeprocessing according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of requestor exchange completion processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of requested party exchange processing throughelectronic email according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of change profile processing according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of update profile processing;

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of initial server connection processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 18A-18K are screen illustrations associated with a representativeembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19A is a representative screen illustration of a rolodex featureaccording to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19A-1 is a representative screen illustration of an additional cardof information according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 19B is a block diagram of a network information management anddistribution system according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of corporate administrator applicationprocessing according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of local corporate registration processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram of employee association processing accordingto an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 23 is flow diagram of notification and disable processing accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to techniques for electronically distributingcontact information over a network in a controlled manner. In oneembodiment, the contact information includes information that is usefulfor identifying or contacting a registered user (e.g., person orentity). As an example, the contact information for a registrant caninclude name, telephone number, facsimile number, mail address, andemail address. When the registration pertains to a business, the contactinformation can also include a title, business name, and a UniversalResource Locator (URL) to an associated business website. A registereduser that has received contact information pertaining to anotherregistered user can contact the another registered user using thecontact information.

Additionally, since contact information is dynamic and needs to bemaintained, the invention can also cause the automatic update of thepreviously distributed contact information. Hence, should the contractinformation change after its distribution to certain registered users,then the updated contact information is able to be distributed to thecertain registered users in an automated manner. Further, the contactinformation can be distributed to registered users to have a commonformat. A common format for the distributed contact information can beused to facilitate a consistent type of contact information as well as aconsistent presentation of the contact information to registered users.In one example, the common format is provided by a business cardarrangement.

In one embodiment, a requestor requests to receive the contactinformation from a requested party, and the requested party is askedwhether the requestor can receive the contact information of therequested party. The contact information of the requested party is thendistributed to the requestor only when the requested party agrees to therequest. Once receiving the contact information pertaining to therequested party, the requestor can use the contact information tocontact the requested party. If the contact information were tosubsequently be changed by the requested party, the previouslydistributed contact information can be updated.

Embodiments of this aspect the invention are discussed below withreference to FIGS. 1-23. However, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect tothese figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extendsbeyond these limited embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network information management anddistribution system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Thenetwork information management and distribution system 100 includes aserver machine 102, a requestor machine 104 and a requested partymachine 106. The Internet 108 is used to interconnect the server machine102 with the requestor machine 104 and the requested party machine 106.The requestor machine 104 connects to the Internet 108 through anintermediate 110, and the requested party machine 106 connects to theInternet 108 through an intermediate 112. The intermediates 110 and 112can refer to any of a number of networks or network devices, including aLocal Area Network (LAN), a corporate Intranet, a Wide Area Network(WAN), a wireless data network, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).It should be noted that other networks besides the Internet can be usedto interconnect the server machine 102 with the requestor machine 104and the requested party machine 106.

The server machine 102 provides for storage and management of contentinformation. The content information pertains to a plurality of users,including the user of the requestor machine 104 and the user of therequested party machine 106. For example, content information for theuser of the requestor machine 104 can be supplied to the server machine102 through the intermediate 110 and the Internet 108. Likewise, contentinformation for the user of the requested party machine 106 can besupplied to the server machine 102 through the intermediate 112 and theInternet 108. The server machine 102 stores the received contentinformation for subsequent distribution.

The distribution of the content information at the server machine 102can be performed as follows. First, the user of the requestor machine104 makes a request for contact information to the server machine 102through the Internet 108. Second, when the server machine 102 receivesthe request from the requestor machine 104, the server machine 102determines that the requestor is seeking to receive the contactinformation for the user of the requested party machine 106. The servermachine 102 than proceeds to query the user of the requested partymachine 106 whether the distribution of its contact information ispermitted. If the user of the requested party machine 106 replies thatthe distribution is permitted, then the server machine 102 forwards thecontact information for the user of the requested party machine 106 fromthe server machine 102 to the requestor machine 104 through the Internet108. Upon receiving the contact information for the user of therequested party machine 106, the requestor machine 104 locally storesthe contact information in the requestor machine 104. Alternatively, ifthe user of the requested party machine 106 replies that thedistribution is not permitted, then the server machine 102 sends anotification to the requestor machine 104 to inform the user that therequest for contact information from the user of the requested partymachine 106 is denied. Optionally, instead of the one-way distributionof the contact information, contact information of both users of therequestor machine 104 and the requested party machine 106 can beexchanged (i.e., two-way distribution).

Accordingly, the distribution of contact information is controlled bythe “owner” of the information. As such, contact information is able tobe electronically transmitted to those users that are approved and notto those users that are not approved. Additionally, should the contactinformation need to be changed, the changes can be made and then theserver machine can proceed to update the previously transmitted contactinformation. As an example, the updating of the contact information atthe requested party machine 106 produces altered contact informationthat is forwarded and stored on the server machine 102. Then, the servermachine 102 can distribute the altered content information through theInternet 108 to all of those requestors machines that previouslyreceived (and this store) the contact information which is now outdated,thereby updating the content information for the user of the requestedparty machine 106 on the various requestor machines.

The network information management and distribution system 100 isdescribed in more detail below as an information management and exchangesystem wherein the contact information is exchanged (two-waydistribution) between the users of the requestor machine 104 and therequested party machine 106. Also described in detail below are thecreation and modification of contact information, and the use of thecontact information on the local machines.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server machine 200 according to anembodiment of the invention. The server machine 200 is, for example,suitable for use as the server machine 102 illustrated in FIG. 1. Theserver machine is also referred to as a remote server or a systemserver.

The server machine 200 includes a server controller 202 that controlsthe operation of the server machine 200 with respect to providing theoperations of the invention. The server controller 202 couples to theInternet 108 through a network interface 204. The server controller 202also interacts with a registration manager 206, an exchange manager 208,and a contact information manager 210. The registration manager 206manages the registration of users with the information management andexchange system. The registration manager 206 makes use of a clientapplication (client-side application) that is available for download tothe users that have (or will) register with the information managementand exchange system. The registration manager 206 also makes use of apersonal identifier (PID) generator 214. The PID generator 214 is usedto generate unique identifiers for the users that are registered withthe information management and exchange system. The exchange manager 208and the contact information manager 210 couple to a server contactinformation storage 216. The server contact information storage 216provides storage for the contact information for each of the registeredusers. In one embodiment, the contact information is profileinformation. The exchange manager 208 manages the exchange of particularcontact information between registered users. The contact informationmanager 210 manages the storage of the contract information for theregistered users as well as the subsequent update to the contactinformation.

The server controller 202 can include a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol(HTTP) server that allows assess and retrieval of information withrespect to a website associated with the information management andexchange system. The website is stored in website storage 218.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a local machine 300 according to anembodiment of the invention. The local machine 200 is, for example,suitable for use as the requestor machine 104 and the requested partymachine 106 illustrated in FIG. 1.

The local machine 300 includes a client controller 302 that controls theoperation of the local machine 300 with respect to the operation of theinvention. The client controller 302 couples to the Internet 108 througha communication manager 304. The client controller 302 runs or executesa client-side application 306 and displays information for a user on adisplay device 308. The client-side application 306 includes aregistration process 310, an exchange process 312, and contactinformation creation/update process 314. The registration process 310 isused by a user of the local machine to register with the informationmanagement and exchange system. The exchange process 312 managescommunications between the client-side application 306 and the servermachine 102 so as to request and then, if approved, to receive contactinformation for a particular user. The contact information that may bereceived is stored in a local contact information storage 316. Thecontact information creation/update processing 314 allows the user ofthe local machine 300 to create and update their own contactinformation. The contact information creation/update processing 314 alsocommunicates with the server machine 102 so that the various localmachines of the information management and exchange system can havetheir previously exchanged contract information updated. The localcontact information storage 316 also stores the contact information forthe user of the local machine 300. Additionally, the local machine 300typically includes a network browser 318 that allows the local machineto access the website of the information management and exchange system,such as provided by the server machine 102.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of automatic contact information distributionprocessing 400 according to an embodiment of the invention. Theautomatic contact information distribution processing 400 is, forexample, performed by the network information management anddistribution system 100.

The automatic contact information distribution processing 400 begins byregistering 402 a plurality of users with their contact information(e.g., profile information). Then, at the request of users, contactinformation is electronically exchanged 404 between consenting users.The exchange of the contact information takes place over a network(e.g., the Internet). The contact information being exchanged pertainsto the parties participating in a particular exchange. In oneembodiment, each particular exchange of the contact information isbetween a pair of users that have consent to the particular exchange.After the contact information is exchanged, the consenting users havethe contact information of each other and thus are able to thereafterutilize the contact information to contact the user associated with thecontact information.

The users that have distributed their contact information with othersmay subsequently alter their contact information in any of a number ofways. For example, the contact information can include a name, mailaddress, telephone number, facsimile number, and email address. If thetelephone number of a particular user changes, then the particular useris able to update their contact information so as to contain the correcttelephone number. However, at least the portion of the contactinformation that has been changed needs to be distributed to those ofthe users that have previously received the contact information of theparticular user. In any case, with respect to the automatic contactinformation distribution processing 400, when users do subsequentlyalter their contact information, the altered contact information isreceived 406 from the associated users. Then, the previously exchangedcontact information is electronically updated 408 to be consistent withthe altered contact information. Following block 408, the automaticcontact information distribution processing 400 is complete and ends.

The operations of the information management and exchange system isdescribed in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 5-23.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of client on-line registration processing 500according to an embodiment of the invention. The client on-lineregistration processing 500 is, for example, performed by a networkbrowser (i.e., web browser) running on a local machine.

The client on-line registration processing 500 initially visits 502 aserver website that is hosting an information management and exchangesystem, such the server machine 200. Next, the network browser receivesand displays 504 a registration page (e.g., HTML page). The registrationpage allows a user to not only download a client-side application butalso register on-line with the information management and exchangesystem.

After the registration page is displayed 504, a decision block 506determines whether the user has requested on-line registration. When theuser has requested on-line registration, the network browser requests508 a profile page from the server website. The network browser thenreceives and displays 510 the profile page provided by the serverwebsite. The profile page is a form that is displayed and permits dataentry into various fields. As an example, the profile page can be aHyper Text Markup Language (HTML) page. FIG. 18A is a screenillustration of a representative profile page according to an embodimentof the invention in which various fields are provided for data entry ofbusiness and/or personal information.

The user then completes 512 the profile page which queries the user forprofile information. The profile information is, for example,descriptive information that the user represents about themselves. As anexample, the profile information can include name, title, business name,mail address, email address, telephone number, facsimile number, andUniversal Resource Locator (URL). After the user has completed theprofile page, the profile information is submitted 514 to a systemserver via a submitted profile page request. The profile informationdefines a profile for the registrant (user). The system server managesthe profile information and may be the same server, or group of servers,as providing the server website. In one embodiment, the submittedprofile page request can be considered a POST operation in Hyper TextTransfer Protocol (HTTP).

Next, a decision block 516 determines whether the profile has beenaccepted by the system server. When the decision block 516 determinesthat the profile has not been accepted, the network browser receives anddisplays 518 an error page. Following block 518, the client on-lineregistration processing 500 returns to repeat block 512 and subsequentblocks such that the user can again repeat the completion of the profilepage or modify previously entered data (profile information).

Once the decision block 516 determines that the system server hasaccepted the profile, the network browser requests 520 a registrationdownload application page from the system server. The registrationdownload application page is a page (e.g., HTML page) that facilitatesthe user in downloading the client-side application from the systemserver. Next, the network browser receives 522 the downloadedclient-side application, a personal identifier (PID) file, and profileinformation pertaining to the user's profile. The client-sideapplication is an application program that executes on the local machineas the client side of the information management and exchangeinformation. The PID file contains a unique identifier that isassociated to the user (requestor). The profile information is theinformation about the user that has been previously submitted by theuser. In other words, the profile information is the self-representeddata provided by the user in block 512. Next, the downloaded client-sideapplication, the PID file and the profile information that have beenreceived 522 are stored 524 on the local machine. Following block 524,the client on-line registration processing 500 is complete and ends.

On the other hand, when the decision block 506 determines that the userhas not selected or requested on-line registration, then the clienton-line registration processing 500 allows the user to obtain theclient-side application without undergoing on-line registration. In suchcase, a decision block 528 initially determines whether the user isrequesting to download the client-side application. When the decisionblock 528 determines that the user is not requesting to download theclient-side application, then other processing is performed in block526. The other processing can be a variety of different processes oroperations that are either conventionally performed or not related tothe invention. As an example, the other processing can be viewing otherpages available from the server website via the network browser.Following block 526, the client on-line registration processing 500returns to repeat the decision block 506 and subsequent blocks so thatthe server machine is essentially awaiting the user to select eitheron-line registration or to select a request for downloading theclient-side application.

When the decision block 528 determines that the user has selected todownload the client-side application, then an unregistered downloadapplication page is requested 530 from the system server. Then, thedownloaded application is received 532 at the network browser. Once thedownloaded application is received, the client-side application isstored 534 on the local machine. Following block 534, the client on-lineregistration processing 500 is complete and ends.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow diagrams of server registration processing 600according to an embodiment of the invention. The server registrationprocessing 600 is, for example, performed by the server machine (serversystem) in connection with the invention.

The server registration processing 600 begins with a decision block 602that determines whether a page request has been received. If a pagerequest has not yet been received, the decision block 602 causes theserver registration processing 600 to await the receipt of a pagerequest. In other words, the server registration processing 600 isinvoked when a page request is received.

Once a page request has been received, a decision block 604 determineswhether the received page request is a registration request. When thedecision block 604 determines that the received page request is aregistration page request, a registration page is sent 606 to therequestor. Here, for example, the registration page request can be aHTTP request to the server machine which, in response, supplies theregistration page (HTTP response) to the requestor. Following block 606,the server registration processing 600 returns to repeat the decisionblock 602 and subsequent blocks so that additional page requests can beprocessed by the server machine.

On the other hand, when the decision block 604 determines that thereceived page request is not a registration page request, a decisionblock 608 determines whether the received page request is a profile pagerequest. When the decision block 608 determines that the received pagerequest is a profile page request, then the server machine sends 610 aprofile page to the requestor. The profile page allows the requestor(user) to profile him/herself and then return the completed profile tothe server machine. As an example, the profile page request is a HTTPrequest. Following block 610, the server registration processing 600returns to repeat the decision block 602 and subsequent blocks so thatadditional page requests can be processed by the server machine.

Alternatively, when the decision block 608 determines that the receivedpage request is not a profile page request, then a decision block 612determines whether the received page request is a submitted profile pagerequest. The submitted profile page request represents a submission of aprofile by the requestor in accordance with a previously suppliedprofile page that has been completed. As an example, the submittedprofile page request is a HTTP request. When the received page requestis determined to be a submitted profile page request, then the serverregistration processing 600 operates to process the submitted profileprovided by the requestor. Specifically, the server machine examines 614the submitted profile. Then, a decision block 616 determines whetherthere are errors or deficiencies associated with the submitted profile.When the decision block 616 determines that there are errors ordeficiencies in the submitted profile, then an error page is sent 618 tothe requestor. Following block 618, the server registration processing600 returns to repeat the decision block 602 and subsequent blocks. Therequestor is then able to correct and resubmit his/her profileinformation.

On the other hand, when the decision block 616 determines that there areno errors or deficiencies with the submitted profile, then a decisionblock 620 determines whether the associated requestor is alreadyregistered with the system. When the decision block 620 determines thatthe requestor is already registered with the system, then the servermachine sends 622 an already registered page to the requestor. Thealready registered page informs the requestor that he or she is alreadyregistered with the system and thus the submitted profile is notutilized. Following block 622, the server registration processing 600returns to repeat the decision block 602 and subsequent blocks.

Alternatively, when the decision block 620 determines that the requestoris not yet registered with the system, then the profile informationprovided in the submitted profile is stored 624 in the system database(e.g., server contact information storage 216). Next, the server machineoperates to assign 626 a PID to a requestor. The PID is a unique numberfor each requestor (user). Next, the PID is associated 628 with theprofile information for the requestor in the system database. Theassociation 628 operates to link together the profile information of therequestor with the PID of the requestor such that future references tothe requestor can be achieved using the PID. Following block 628, aregistered download page is sent 630 to the requestor. Following block630, the server registration processing 600 returns to repeat thedecision block 602 and subsequent blocks.

On the other hand, when the decision block 612 determines that thereceived page request is not a submitted profile page request, adecision block 632 determines whether the received page request is aregistered download application page request. The registered downloadapplication page request is a request (e.g., HTTP request) to downloadthe client-side application to the requestor. When the decision block632 determines that the received page request is a registered downloadapplication page request, then the server machine downloads 634 theclient-side application along with the PID file and profile informationto the requestor. Following block 634, the server registrationprocessing 600 returns to repeat the decision block 602 and subsequentblocks.

Alternatively, when the decision block 632 determines that the receivedpage request is not a registered download application page request, thena decision block 636 determines whether the received page request is anunregistered download application page request. The unregistereddownload application page request is a request (e.g., HTTP request) todownload the client-side application to the requestor. When the decisionblock 636 determines that the received page request is an unregistereddownload application page request, then the server machine downloads 638the client-side application to the requestor. Following block 638, orfollowing the decision block 636 when the received page request isdetermined not to be an unregistered download application page request,the server registration processing 600 returns to repeat the decisionblock 602 and subsequent blocks. While the server machine may alsoservice additional page requests beyond those illustrated and describedwith the respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B, such additional page requests arenot associated with the present invention and therefore are notdiscussed herein because they would obscure the operation of theinvention.

Upon receiving the client-side application at the local machine, arequestor would install the client-side application on their localmachine. As is well known in the art, the client-side application can bedownloaded from the server machine (system server) to the local machinein a self-extracting format such that a user simply executes a file andthe installation of the client-side application is performed. Theclient-side application would install itself in a predetermineddirectory and would also store the PID file and profile information inthat same directory if such additional information was also downloadedfrom the server machine. Additionally, after the installation procedurehas installed the program, typically a desktop icon would be provided ina start menu as well as on the visible desktop.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of general client-side application processing700 according to an embodiment of the invention. The general client-sideapplication processing 700 is, for example, performed by the client-sideapplication running on the local machine.

The general client-side application processing 700 initially begins uponexecution of the client-side application. Once the client-sideapplication is started, the general client-side application processing700 operates to search 702 for a PID file on the local machine. Thepresence or absence of PID file indicates whether or not the user of thelocal machine has already registered with the system server of theinformation management and exchange system. A decision block 704determines whether the PID file has been found on the local machine.When the decision block 704 determines that the PID file has not beenfound, local registration processing is performed 706 so that the usercan register with the system server of the information management andexchange system (see FIG. 8). Following block 706, the generalclient-side application processing 700 is restarted. Hence, onlyregistered users are able to use the client-side application in itsnormal operating sense.

On the other hand, when the decision block 704 determines that the PIDfile has been found on the local machine, the local machine is connected708 to the server machine. Here, the connection of the local machine tothe server machine can be performed in a variety of ways. For example,the connection is often through ports of the local machine and theserver machine using some sort of communication protocol, such as HTTPor TCP/IP. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the connection isprovided using the Internet. The connection can also be established atleast in part over a public telephone network (PTN), a wireless network,a LAN or WAN.

Once the general client-side application 700 is executing, theclient-side application is able to process both user events and serverevents. The user events are provided by a user of the local machine, andthe server events are provided by the server machine to the localmachine via the connection. Following the connection (block 708) of thelocal machine to the server machine, a decision block 710 determineswhether a user event has been received. When the decision block 710determines that a user event has been received, the user event isprocessed 712. Alternatively, when the decision block 710 determinesthat a user event has not been received, a decision block 714 determineswhether a server event has been received. When the decision block 714determines that a server event has been received, the server event isprocessed 716. The user and server events cause the client-sideapplication to perform actions that are associated with processingperformed by the client-side application, such processing includesbusiness card creation, rolodex operations, exchange operations, andupdate operations. Then, following the block 712, the block 716, or thedecision block 714 when a server event is not received, a decision block718 determines whether the user is requesting to exit the generalclient-side application processing 700. When the decision block 718determines that an exit is requested, the general client-sideapplication processing 700 is complete and ends. On the other hand, whenthe decision block 718 determines that the user is not requesting toexit, then the general client-side application processing 700 returns torepeat the decision block 710 and subsequent blocks.

As previously noted, a user of the information management and exchangesystem is required to register with the system in order to participatein using its information management and exchange features. As wasexplained with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the registration processingcan be initiated and performed through a website server. Alternatively,the registration processing can be performed by the client-sideapplication. Specifically, upon initially invoking the client-sideapplication on a local machine, the client-side application can requestthat the user register with the information management and exchangesystem (see block 706, FIG. 7).

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of local registration processing 800 accordingto an embodiment of the invention. The local registration processing 800is, for example, performed by the block 706 illustrated in FIG. 7 forthe general client-side application 700.

The local registration processing 800 initially displays 802 a profilescreen on the local machine. The profile screen would contain a formthat the user would complete by entering profile information. Typically,the profile screen would be visually similar to the profile page usedabove with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B. For example, a representativeprofile screen can be similar to the screen illustration shown in FIG.18A.

A user then completes 804 their profile using the profile screen. Next,a decision block 806 determines whether the user has submitted theirprofile to the server system. When the user has not yet submitted theirprofile to the server system, the decision block 806 causes the localregistration processing 800 to await the user's request to submit theprofile. Once the decision block 806 determines that the user hassubmitted their profile, the local machine is connected 808 to theserver machine. Once connected, the profile information is sent 810 tothe server machine.

A decision block 812 then determines whether the profile has beenaccepted by the server system. When the decision block 812 determinesthat the server system rejects the profile, then an error screen isdisplayed 814 on the local machine. The error screen informs the user ofthe local machine that the profile that has been submitted is notacceptable. Following block 814, the local registration processing 800returns to repeat the block 804 and subsequent blocks so that the useris able to modify their profile so as to eliminate the errors identifiedby the server system.

On the other hand, when the decision block 812 determines that theprofile has been accepted by the server system, a PID file is received816 from the server machine. Here, the server system operates, afterreceiving the submitted profile, to generate a suitable PID file. ThePID file is then sent from the server system to the local machine. Afterreceiving 816 the PID file, the PID file is stored 818 in the localmachine. The user is then instructed 820 to restart the client-sideapplication. Upon restart, the client-side application processing 700will identify the stored PID file on the local machine (block 702, FIG.7) and thus allow the client-side application to perform the operationsassociated with information management and exchange system. Followingblock 820, the local registration processing 800 is complete and ends.

The client-side application provides a number of features that areavailable to a user. One such feature pertains to the design andcreation of electronic business cards. Electronic business cards areused as a medium for containing information. The information containedin the cards is, for example, contact information about the individualrepresented by a particular business card. In effect, the electronicbusiness cards are containers for information that has a common format.More generally, the contact information is presented to the users in acommon format. With the common format, a consistent presentation ofcontact information (e.g., profile information) can be made toregistered users. Electronic business cards are one example of thecommon format.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of business card creation processing 900according to an embodiment of the invention. The business card creationprocessing 900 is, for example, utilized by a user of the client-sideapplication in designing and creating a business card that would containtheir profile information and be used to distribute to others in acontrolled fashion.

The business card creation processing 900 initially displays 902business card format templates. FIG. 18B is a representative screenillustration showing exemplary business card format templates. A user ofthe client-side application at the local machine is then able to selectone of the business card formats (or layouts) to be used for theirbusiness card. Hence, a decision block 904 determines whether a templatehas been selected. When the decision block 904 determines that atemplate has not been selected then, presumably, the user has decided tocustom design their own business card format. In this case, the userdesigns 906 the business card format using conventional text and linedrawing tools. Following the block 906, or directly following thedecision block 904 when the user has selected a template, a decisionblock 908 determines whether the user desires to include graphics withintheir business card design. When the decision block 908 determines thatgraphics are to be included in the business card design, a graphic imageis obtained 910. A graphic image can be obtained in a variety of ways,including scanning an image, selecting an image from pre-stored images,or otherwise importing an image. As an example, the graphic image can bea company logo or some other symbol to be provided on the business carddesign. Once the graphic image is obtained 910, the graphic image isfitted and placed 912 on the business card design. Following block 912,as well as following the decision block 908 when graphics are notdesired, a decision block 914 determines whether additional text isdesired. When the decision block 914 determines that additional text isrequested, then text can be added 916 to the business card design.Again, the addition of text onto the business card design can useconventional text tools. Following block 916, as well as following thedecision block 914 when additional text is not to be added, a decisionblock 918 determines whether the user has requested to submit theirbusiness card design. Here, a submission of the business card designmeans that the design is finalized and the user is ready to transmit itto the server system for subsequent use and exchange with others. Whenthe decision block 918 determines that the user has not requested tosubmit the business card design, the user is able to edit 920 thebusiness card design and make any desired changes to the design.Following block 920, the business card creation processing 900 returnsto repeat the decision block 918. Once the decision block 918 determinesthat the user has requested to submit the business card design, thebusiness card design is sent 922 to the server system. At the serversystem, the business card design will be stored so that the serversystem has access to the business card designs for all the users. Thebusiness card design is also saved 924 at the local machine so that itis locally available. Following block 924, the business card creationprocessing 900 is complete and ends. The user of the client-sideapplication is also able to subsequently change their business carddesign or profile information thereon as described below.

Another feature of the client-side application is a rolodex feature. Therolodex feature allows a user of the client-side application to view thevarious profiles (e.g., business cards) it has received duringexchanges. In addition to viewing the various profiles, the rolodexfeature can be used to contact the individuals associated with theprofiles. These various profiles can also be categorized, deleted,referenced and searched in a variety of ways. Additionally, when theprofiles have been subsequently changed or otherwise updated, theseupdates can occur in a variety of different ways as discussed below.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of rolodex processing 1000 according to anembodiment of the invention. The rolodex processing 1000 is performed onthe client-side application. The rolodex processing 1000 initiallyselects a contact card associated with an entity to be contacted. Theclient-side application typically stores numerous contact cards. Hence,the selection may make use of some searching through the cards orplacing the cards into categories to facilitate the selection of adesired one of the contact cards.

The contact card is a card that includes contact information for anentity. The entity is typically an individual, but the individual may beassociated a personal side or a business side. In one embodiment, thecontact card appears as a small, hand-sized electronic business cardthat contains contact information when displayed. Examples of thecontact information (or profile information) include name, company,title, address, telephone number, facsimile number, email address, andURL.

FIG. 18C is a screen illustration of a representative rolodex featureaccording to an embodiment of the invention. An icon 1808 is used toselect the rolodex feature. In the screen illustration, the selection ofthe contact card is performed in contact card selection window 1810.Category area 1812 and search area 1814 are used by a user to narrow thenumber of possible contact cards to choose from in the contact cardselection window 1810. Once the contact card is selected, the selectedcontact card is displayed in a card display area 1816. The card displayarea 1816 displays the selected contact card with its contactinformation. In this embodiment, the selected contact cards are alldisplayed in the card display area in a common format, namely, anelectronic business card format.

Next, the rolodex processing 1000 determines 1004 those communicationmechanisms available to the operating system and also the selectedcontact card. Here, the individual contact cards can control whethercertain communication mechanisms are able to be used to contact theindividual associated with the contact card. For example, thecommunication mechanisms may include telephone, facsimile, and email.Other possible communication mechanisms are video conference, on-linechat, and Internet telephony. In one embodiment, the block 1004, thosecommunication mechanisms that the operating system can support are firstdetermined, and then from the communication mechanisms that theoperating system supports, it is determined which are permitted by theselected contact card.

In FIG. 18C, the communication mechanisms is a screen illustration of arepresentative rolodex feature according to an embodiment of theinvention. In the screen illustration, icons 1818-1828 representpotentially available communication mechanisms for the representativerolodex feature. Following block 1004, the identified or determinedcommunication mechanisms that are available are distinguishablydisplayed 1006 from those communication mechanisms that are unavailable.As an example, if the contact card specifies that facsimile and emailare permitted but telephone is not permitted, then visual indicatorsrepresenting the communication mechanisms associated with facsimile andemail would indicate availability while the communication mechanismassociated with telephone would be disabled. In one embodiment, thevisual indicators representing the communication mechanisms are icons(e.g., icons 1818-1828) that are displayed by the client-sideapplication of a display screen. These icons are then either“grayed-out” or shown as active depending upon their availability (withrespect to the both the operating system and the selected contact card).

Following block 1006, a decision block 1008 determines whether a userhas selected one of the available communication mechanisms. When theuser has not selected one of the available communication mechanisms,then the rolodex processing 1000 is able to return to repeat the block1002 such that the user is able to select a different contact card thanthe one previously selected and continue the processing. On the otherhand, when the decision block 1008 determines that the user has selectedone of the available communication mechanisms, the rolodex processing1000 initiates 1010 communication to the entity associated with theselected contact card via the selected communication mechanism. Forexample, if the user selected the visual indicator representing thecommunication mechanism for email, the initiation 1010 of the emailcommunication would present a message generation screen where a userwould enter a message for the email to be sent. Thereafter, the emailmessage would be sent to the email address associated with the selectedcontact card. As another example, if the user selected the visualindicator representing the communication mechanism for telephone, theinitiation 1010 for the telephone communication would, for example, dialthe phone number associated with the selected contacts card via computeror Internet telephony. Following block 1010, the rolodex processing 1000is complete and ends.

Hence, the rolodex processing 1000 allows a user of the client-sideapplication to easily and rapidly identify an entity (e.g., a person,company or group) that he/she wishes to contact (or at least referenceinformation on the entity for other purposes). The rolodex processing1000 additionally allows the user of the client-side application to alsoinitiate communication with the entity associated with a selectedcontact card. This facilitates the ease of use of the system because thesame application not only identifies the appropriate contact persons butalso permits the communication to those entities in a manner in whichthey have previously authorized.

As noted above, a registered user can select communication mechanisms(channels) using the client-side application. However, the availabilityof the communication mechanisms is limited by those supported by theoperating system and by those communication mechanisms that have beenpermitted by the associated contact information. The client-sideapplication is able to connect to the system server by making a socketconnection as is well known in the art. The communication protocol beingused between the system server and the client-side application asimplemented by a network interface can, for example, utilizecommunication protocol such as COM, CORBA, or TCP/IP. When accessing theserver website through a network browser, users access the websiteserver using HTTP requests.

The information management and exchange system also provides forautomatic distribution (e.g., exchange) of profile information betweenregistered users in a controlled manner. The requested exchanges ofprofile information are made between one client-side application andanother client-side application located on different local machines.These different client-side applications are utilized by different usersand communicate with one another through the server system. When therequested party receives an exchange request, the requested party isable to accept or deny the exchange request. FIGS. 11-13 are provided toexplain the exchange processing according to the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of requestor exchange processing 1100according to an embodiment of the invention. The requestor exchangeprocessing 1100 is, for example, performed by the client-sideapplication running on a local machine when a user of the client-sideapplication desires to exchange contact information with another.

The requestor exchange processing 1100 begins with a decision block1102. The decision block 1102 determines whether an exchange isrequested. When the decision block 1102 determines that an exchange hasnot been requested, then the requestor exchange processing 1100 awaitssuch a request. In other words, the requestor exchange processing 1100is not invoked until an exchange request is received.

Once an exchange has been requested, the requested party for theexchange is identified 1104. In one embodiment, the requested party withwhich the requestor desires to exchange profile information (e.g.,business card information) is identified by first and last name as wellas an email address. In other embodiments, more or less information canbe used so long as the requested party is able to be determined withoutambiguity. After identifying the requested party, an exchange request issubmitted 1106 to the server system. The server system can then processthe exchange request and inform the requestor exchange processing 1100whether a response has been received to the exchange request. A decisionblock 1108 determines whether a server response has been received to theexchange request. When the decision block 1108 determines that a serverresponse has not yet been received, the requestor exchange processing1100 awaits the reception of such a response. Once the decision block1108 determines that a server response has been received, the status ofthe exchange request is displayed 1110. As an example, the status of theexchange request can be either: accepted, waiting or denied. Often,there will be more than one exchange request pending, so that the statusof each of the exchange requests are displayed 1110. Hence, therequestor is able to observe the status of the one or more uncompletedexchange requests that it has made. Following block 1110, the requestorexchange processing 1100 is complete and ends.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams of requested party exchangeprocessing 1200 according to an embodiment of the invention. Therequested party exchange processing 1200 is, for example, performed bythe client-side application running on the local machine associated withthe requested party.

The requested party exchange processing 1200 initially displays 1202 alist of requestors that have requested to exchange profile information.The requested party is then able to select 1204 one of the requestors inthe list of requestors being displayed. Then, the requested partyexchange processing 1200 awaits a user selection. A decision block 1206waits for the requested party to make a user selection. Once thedecision block 1206 determines that a user selection has been received,a decision block 1208 determines whether the user selection is to exitthe requested party exchange processing 1200. When the decision block1208 determines that the user selection is to exit, then the requestedparty exchange processing 1200 is complete and ends without havingoperated to accept or decline any of the requestors that have requestedto exchange profile information.

When the decision block 1208 determines that the user selection is notto exit, a decision block 1210 determines whether the user selection isto accept the requested exchange by the selected requestor. When thedecision block 1210 determines that the user selection is to accept therequested exchange, then a message is sent 1212 to the server systeminforming the server system to accept the particular exchange. Followingblock 1212, the displayed list of requestors is updated 1214. In oneembodiment, the update to the displayed list operates to remove theselected entry in the list of the requestors being displayed. Followingblock 1214, the requested party exchange processing 1200 returns torepeat the block 1204 and subsequent blocks.

On the other hand, when the decision block 1210 determines that the userselection is not to accept the exchange request from the selectedrequestor, a decision block 1216 determines whether the user selectionis to decline the exchange request from the selected requestor. When thedecision block 1216 determines that the user selection is to decline theexchange request from the selected requestor, a message is sent 1218 tothe server system to decline the exchange. Following block 1218, therequested party exchange processing 1200 returns to repeat the block1214 and subsequent blocks where the list of the requestors beingdisplayed is updated and then processing for another of the requestorscan be performed.

Alternatively, when the decision block 1216 determines that the userselection is not to decline, then a decision block 1220 determineswhether the user selection is to accept the exchange request withlimitations. When the decision block 1220 determines that the userselection is not to accept with limitations, then the requested partyexchange processing 1200 returns to repeat the block 1204 and subsequentblocks. When the decision block 1220 determines that the user selectionis to accept the exchange request with limitations, a limitation screenis displayed 1222. Then, the requested party is able to select 1224limits for the exchange. Next, a message is sent 1226 to the serversystem informing the server system to accept the exchange request by theselected requestor with the selected limitations. Following block 1226,the requested party exchange processing 1200 returns to repeat the block1214 and subsequent blocks.

Once the server system is notified that a requested party has agreed toaccept an exchange request, the server system operates to send a statusupdate to the particular requestor. The status update can, for example,be forwarded to the client-side application of the requestor when nextconnected with the server system. The status update will update thestatus of the pending exchange requests of the particular requestor.

FIG. 18D is a screen illustration of a representative limitations screenaccording to an embodiment of the invention in which various exchangeoptions can be selected (block 1222). In the screen illustration, therequested party is accepting the request to exchange profile informationwith the limitations that only the restricted personal information ofaddress and email (as well as name) are permitted to be exchanged. Otherlimitations screens can be used.

Further, the users could process the limitations of exchanges bycategorizing the requestors into groups. Exemplary groups are family,business associates, and friends. Each of the groups would have theexchange settings set based on the type of group. For example, familymight be exchanged without limitations, friends might be exchanged withminor limitations, and business associates might have more limitations.Then, when accepting an exchange request, the requested party simplyselects the appropriate for the requestor and the limitations on theexchange are thereby determined.

Additional modification to the requested party exchange processing canlimit the number of requests for exchanging information a requestedparty has to respond to. One approach is for the requested party to seta preference that a password be required to be entered by a requestor ofan exchange. Here, upon submitting a request for exchange, the serverwould determine that the requested party has required a particularpassword in order to permit such requests. Hence, the server would causethe client-side application to query the requestor to enter thepassword. If the requestor enters the correct password, then the serverforwards the request to the requested party. On the other hand, if therequestor fails to enter the correct password, the request is never sentto the requested party. This approach is, for example, suitable for arequested party that wants to limit the exchanges to persons it hasprovided the password.

FIG. 18J is a screen illustration of a representative limitations screenaccording to an embodiment of the invention in which various exchangeoptions can be selected based on groups. The client-side applicationenables the user to profile himself with information ranging frombusiness to personal information. Because of the nature of contacts,such information may not be equally shared with all contacts. Therefore,the client-side application can allow a user to create different groupsof contacts, each with a list of user selectable exchange options forthat group profile. For example, a user may create a Business Group thatcontains only Business information and another group called CloseFriends that contains both Business and Personal information. FIG. 18J,for example, illustrates the user exchange selections being made for thegroup denoted Close Friends. Thereafter, whenever a request for contactinformation is received by the user, the user is free to select thatparticular profile group that the requestor should be designated. Theprofile information related to the selected group can then be sent tothe system server together with the permission to distribute (orexchange). The system server then deliver the appropriate profileinformation to the requestor. As noted above, a password control optioncan also be implemented. The password control can be associated with thedefinition of the group profiles. For example, if the user is well knownin her industry, she can be given the option of picking a password suchthat when a request for contact information arrives at the serversystem, the server system will first ask the requestors to provide thepassword. If the requestor does not enter the correct password, norequest (e.g., exchange request) is forwarded to the user. The passwordoption would allows for increased privacy and reduction in unwantedrequests (e.g., spam).

Another approach is for the requested party to pre-approve exchangerequests. For example, a sales person often wants a wide distribution oftheir contact information to anyone willing to accept it. Hence, bypre-authorizing such exchanges of such business information, the salesperson need not individually approve the exchange requests.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of requestor exchange completion processing1300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The requestor exchangecompletion processing 1300 is, for example, performed by the client-sideapplication running on the local machine associated with the requestor.

The requestor exchange completion processing 1300 begins with a decisionblock 1302. The decision block 1302 determines whether a status updatehas been received. Here, the status update is supplied by the serversystem to the client-application running on the local machine. When thedecision block 1302 determines that a status update has been received,the status of the one or more exchange requests being displayed areupdated 1304 in accordance with the status update. Otherwise, when thedecision block 1302 determines that status update has not been received,the block 1304 is bypassed and the client-side application may otherwiseoperate to display the previous status of the one or more exchangerequests. In any case, once the one or more exchange requests aredisplayed and updated as appropriate, the requestor is able to select1306 one of the exchange requests.

A decision block 1308 then determines whether the status of the selectedexchange request is “pending”. When the decision block 1308 determinesthat the status of the selected exchange request is “pending”, then adecision block 1310 determines whether the requestor desires to exit therequestor exchange completion processing 1300. When the decision block1310 determines that the user does desire to exit, then the requestorexchange completion processing 1300 is complete and ends. On the otherhand, when the decision block 1310 determines that the user does notdesire to exit, then the requestor exchange completion processing 1300returns to repeat the decision block 1302 and subsequent blocks.

Alternatively, when the decision block 1308 determines that the statusof the selected exchange request is not “pending”, then a decision block1312 determines whether the status of the selected exchange request is“accepted”. When the decision block 1312 determines that the status ofthe selected exchange request is not “accepted”, then a messageindicating that the exchange is not permitted is displayed 1314. In thiscase, the status of the selected exchange request is “denied”. Hence,following block 1314, the requestor exchange completion processing 1300returns to repeat the decision block 1302 without completing theselected exchange request.

On the other hand, when the decision block 1312 determines that thestatus of the selected exchange request is “accepted”, then therequested party's profile is requested 1316 from the server system.Then, a decision block 1318 determines whether the requested profile hasbeen received. The decision block 1318 causes the requestor exchangecompletion processing 1300 to await the arrival of the requested party'sprofile. Once the requested party's profile has been received, therequested party's profile is stored 1320 on the local machine. At thispoint, the requested party's profile (e.g., business card) is stored onthe local machine and therefore available to the rolodex feature andthus available to the client-side application program. The status of thedisplayed exchange request is also updated 1322. Namely, the entry inthe list of the displayed exchange requests that are pending can beremoved since the exchange of profile information has been completed.Following block 1322, the requestor exchange completion processing 1300returns to repeat the decision block 1302.

As discussed above with respect to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the requestedparty exchange processing 1200 can be performed via the client-sideapplication. In which case, the requested party can choose to accept,decline or accept with limitations each of the particular requests forexchange of profile information. An alternative approach is for therequested party to perform similar actions upon receiving an emailmessage from the system server. FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of requestedparty exchange processing 1400 through electronic email according to anembodiment of the invention. The requested party exchange processing1400 begins when the requested party receives 1402 an exchangeauthorization email from the system server. The requested party thenreads 1404 the exchange authorization email and decides how to respondto it with respect to a particular authorization type. Then, therequested party selects 1406 one of accept, decline or accept withlimitations. An email reply is formed 1408 containing the requestedparty's authorization selection. The reply email is then sent 1410 tothe system server. Following block 1410, the requested party exchangeprocessing 1400 is complete and ends. For each exchange request, theserver system would cause an exchange authorization email to be sent tothe appropriate requested party in the manner discussed above.

FIGS. 18E-18H are screen illustrations of representative screensprovided to users during the exchange processing pertaining to FIGS.11-13 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 18E illustratesa representative exchange screen in which a requestor identifies (block1104) the requested party they desire to exchange profile informationwith. Specifically, a requested party identification area 1830 isprovided on the representative exchange screen and the requestor entersthe identifying information (e.g., first name, last name, and emailaddress). To submit (block 1106) the exchange request to the systemserver, the requestor selects a submit button 1832. FIG. 18E illustratesa representative exchange screen in which an exchange status area 1834displays the status of those exchanges that the requestor has requestedand which are in process (block 1110). Here, an entry 1836 in theexchange status area 1834 indicates that currently a single exchangerequest (the one just submitted) is “waiting”. To refresh the statusinformation provided in the exchange status area 1834 a status button1838 can be depressed. Alternatively, the server system could refreshthe status information as desired when the requestor is connected to theserver system. FIG. 18G illustrates a representative exchange screen forthe requested party of the exchange request. The representative exchangescreen for the requested party includes a requested exchange area 1840.In this example, the requested exchange area 1840 includes an entry 1842that indicates that a particular requestor has submitted a request toexchange profile information with the requested party (block 1202). Theparticular requestor is identified by the entry 1842 (e.g., first name,last name, and email address). To refresh the requested exchange area1840 a refresh button 1844 can be depressed. Upon selecting the entry1842 in the requested exchange area 1840, the requested party thendecides whether to accept or decline the request. A authorization area1846 on the representative exchange screen of FIG. 18G includes anaccept button 1848 and a decline button 1850. The requested partyselects the accept button 1848 to permit the requested exchange (block1210), and selects the decline button 1850 to deny the requestedexchange (block 1216). In another embodiment, a third button can beprovided to accept with limitations, where the limitations are providedby a limitations screen such as shown in FIG. 18D. Finally, FIG. 18Hillustrates a representative exchange screen for the requested party inwhich the exchange status area 1834 has been updated (block 1304) afterthe requested party has authorized the requested exchange. Namely,displayed status of the outstanding exchange that the requestor hasrequested (the entry 1836) is now “accepted”. At this point, therequestor can depress a download button 1852 to complete the exchangerequest by causing the requested profile of the requested party to bereceived at the local machine of the requestor (block 1316).Alternatively, if the requestor should change their mind and no longerdesire the exchange, then the requestor can depress a remove button 1854to cancel the exchange request.

During the registration process, a user or registrant will enter his/hercontact or profile information. However, if at any time afterregistering the registrant desires to change their profile information,the client-side application facilitates such modifications.Additionally, the updated profile will be able to be automaticallydistributed to all of those registered users that have previouslyreceived the profile that has now been updated.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of change profile processing 1500 according toan embodiment of the invention. The change profile processing 1500 is,for example, performed by the client-side application on the localmachine.

The change profile processing 1500 initially displays 1502 a currentlocal user profile. The user of the local machine can then determine howto modify the current local user profile. The displayed user profile isthen modified 1504. The use is able to modify any of the informationforming part of the profile that they previously provided.

FIG. 18I illustrates a representative update profile screen that can bedisplayed by the client-side application (block 1502). Therepresentative update profile screen includes a current profile datasection 1854 that displays current data, and a new profile data section1856 where the user can enter the modifications to the profile (block1504).

Following block 1504, a decision block 1506 determines whether the userhas requested to save the modified profile. When the user does not wishto save the modified profile, then a decision block 1508 determineswhether an exit is being requested. When the decision block 1508determines that an exit is requested, then the change profile processing1500 is complete and ends without modifying the user profile. On theother hand, when the decision block 1508 determines that the user is notrequesting an exit, then the processing returns to repeat the block 1504and subsequent blocks so that additional modifications can be made tothe displayed user profile.

Alternatively, when the decision block 1506 determines that the modifiedprofile is to be saved, then the modified profile information is sent1510 to the server system. Then, a decision block 1512 determineswhether the server user profile has been successfully updated inaccordance with the modified profile information that was sent 1510 tothe system server. When the decision block 1512 determines that theserver user profile has been successfully updated, then the local userprofile is updated 1514 based on the modified profile information. Atthis point, the appropriate user profile has been updated on both thesystem server and the local machine. Following block 1514, the changeprofile processing 1500 is complete and ends.

On the other hand, when the decision block 1512 determines that theserver user profile has not been successfully updated, an error messageis displayed 1516 on the display screen of the local machine to indicatethat the profile has not been updated. Then, a decision block 1518determines whether a retry is desired. When a retry of the update to theuser profile is requested, the change profile processing 1500 returns torepeat the block 1510 and subsequent blocks. Alternatively, when thedecision block 1518 determines that a retry is not desired, then thechange profile processing 1500 is complete and ends without havingupdated the user profile.

In FIG. 15, the user profile was updated by way of the client-sideapplication running on the local machine. However, an alternativeapproach would allow a registrant to modify his/her user profile usingthe server website associated with the information management andexchange system. In such a case, the user at the local machine could usea network browser (e.g., web browser) to access the server website.Then, the user could sufficiently identify him/herself to the serverwebsite (such as with his/her name and PID and possibly password). Onceidentified to the server website, the current user profile would then bedisplayed and the user would be allowed to modify and submit themodified user profile to the system server.

At this point, the user profiles that have been modified are stored onthe system server, but the outdated user profiles that have beenpreviously exchanged with other registered users remain out of date.FIGS. 16 and 17 described below indicate one embodiment for updating theuser profiles that have been previously exchanged in an automatedfashion.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of update profile processing 1600. The updateprofile processing 1600 is performed on the system server. The updateprofile processing 1600 can be initiated every time a modified userprofile is submitted to the system server or can periodically operate onthe system server. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the update profileprocessing 1600 initially begins with a decision block 1602 thatdetermines whether any profiles have been updated. When there are noprofiles that have been updated, the update profile processing is notinvoked. However, when the decision block 1602 determines that one ormore profiles have been updated on the system server, then the updateprofile processing 1600 is invoked.

Once the update profile processing 1600 is invoked, one of the updatedprofiles is selected 1604. Then, all registered users who havepreviously received a copy of the outdated profile are identified 1606.As an example, the user profiles can be stored in the server contactinformation storage 216 such that each registrant is stored in adatabase along with a list of those registered users that previouslyobtained a copy of the now outdated profile. Next, an update flag is set1608 for each of the identified registered users. For each registrant,the update flag indicates that one or more of the user profiles it hasstored locally needs to be updated. This update flag will be used tosubsequently update the user profiles stored on the local machine.

A decision block 1610 then determines whether there are more profiles tobe updated. When the decision block 1610 determines that there are moreprofiles to be updated, then the update profile processing 1600 returnsto repeat the block 1604 and subsequent blocks. On the other hand, whenthe decision block 1610 determines that there are no more profiles to beupdated, then the update profile processing 1600 is complete and ends.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of initial server connection processing 1700according to an embodiment of the invention. The initial serverconnection processing 1700 is, for example, performed by the serversystem. The initial server connection processing 1700 communicates withthe local machines to manage profile updates and exchange requests.

The initial server connection processing 1700 is invoked when a user ofthe client-side application connects to the system server. A decisionblock 1702 determines whether a registered user has connected. When thedecision block 1702 determines that a registered user has not connected,then the initial server connection processing 1700 is not invoked. Oncea registered user has connected to the system server, the initial serverconnection processing 1700 is invoked.

When the initial server connection processing 1700 begins, a decisionblock 1704 determines whether an update flag is set. The update flag forthe various registrants is set in block 1608 of FIG. 16 to signal thatone or more user profiles that have previously been exchanged have beenmodified. Hence, the decision block 1704 determines whether theregistrant that has connected to the system server needs to be sent userprofiles that have been modified. When the decision block 1704determines that the update flag is set, then updated user profiles forthose previously exchanged user profiles that have been updated are sent1706. On the other hand, when the decision block 1704 determines thatthe update flag is not set, then block 1706 is bypassed because the userprofiles that have been exchange with the registrant have not beenmodified.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of sending 1706 the updated userprofiles, the server system could merely send an update notification tothe client-application of the local machine that there are updatedprofiles to be delivered. This approach allows the user to decide if andwhen the updated user profiles are to be sent. In one implementation,the update notification could display a flashing update indicator tosignal the user that updated profiles are waiting to be delivered. Forexample, in FIG. 19A, an indicator 1912 can be used to signal the userof the client-side application when updates are waiting. In anotherimplementation, the update notification could display the names of theregistrants having the updated profiles that are waiting to bedelivered. As an example, in FIG. 19A, an update button 1914 is thenavailable for the user to depress when the user desires to receive theupdates. In still another implementation, the server system could resendall of the user profiles that have been previously exchanged with theregistrant; however, such an approach would be less efficient.

Following block 1706, as well as following the decision block 1704 whenthe update flag is not set, a decision block 1708 determines whetherthere has been a status change. The status change pertains to the statusof pending exchange requests which the registrant that has connected tothe system server has previously requested. When the decision block 1708determines that there have been status changes, then status informationon the pending exchange requests is sent 1710 to the local machine. Thisstatus information is, for example, used in the block 1110 of FIG. 11where the status of the one or more pending exchange requests isdisplayed. Alternatively, when the decision block 1708 determines thatthere has been no status change, then the block 1710 is bypassed.

Following the block 1710, as well as following the decision block 1708when there has been no status change, a decision block 1712 determineswhether there are any incoming exchange requests. The incoming exchangerequests are those exchange requests in which the registrant that hasconnected to the system server is the requested party. When the decisionblock 1712 determines that there are incoming exchange requests, a listof requestors that have requested to exchange profiles is sent 1714 tothe local machine associated with the registrant that has connected tothe server system. As noted above, the list of requestors is displayedto the registrant so that the requested party exchange processing can beperformed as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. When the decision block 1712determines that there are no incoming exchange requests, then the block1714 is bypassed. Following block 1714, as well as following thedecision block 1712 when there are no incoming exchange requests, theinitial server connection processing 1700 is complete and ends.

Previously, as discussed above, the contact information provided by auser was self-representative by the user. The self-representative natureof the contact information means that the user is able to claimassociation with any organization or no organization at all. However, insome cases, some or all of the contact information is not set by theuser but is instead set and controlled by an administrator of an entity.

It is not uncommon for an individual to desire to have multiplerepresentations depending upon the particular setting in which he/she isoperating. For example, an individual may have a personal setting inwhich he/she wishes to distribute contact information, may also have asmall business in which he/she operates, and may further be associatedwith a corporation of which he/she is an employee and thus be associatedwith contact information associated with the corporation. Hence, theinformation and exchange system allows a user to create multipleprofiles of him/herself using the same client-side application.

The users of the client-side application are able to representthemselves irrespective of employment (current or future). The userfirst and foremost represents himself primarily because of his unique ID(PID) assigned to him by the server system. The user profiles himselfwith his self-represented contact (profile) information. The user canalso create further representations (profile) of himself. For example,the user may want to create another profile of himself as coach of hisson's roller hockey team. FIG. 18K is a representative screenillustration 1858 of a user that has multiple representations accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The representative screenillustration 1858 includes a first representation 1860 pertaining to abusiness entity associated with the user, and a second representation1862 pertaining to a personal association for the user. Here, the usercan be represented, and thus exchange or distribute contact information,as either the president of Sound Minds Tech, Inc. or the coach of PeeWee Roller Hockey. As shown in the representative screen illustration, aselect representation is designated by a representation indicator 1864or by the depression of the first representation 1860. The selectedrepresentation in a multiple representation situation is the one usedduring exchanges of contact information. In addition, the same user canalso be officially represented as an employee of a corporation that hassubscribed for the information management and distribution service. Theuser is subscribed as an employee and uses an official company businesscard, complete with company logo and only company editable employeeinformation. The user now has an additional representation and is stilluniquely identified as the same person to the server system;irrespective of changes in personal represented information or businessentity information.

Typically, the system can distinguish between the different profiles byusing the PID which is shared among the profiles together with the emailaddress associated with the different profiles. In such case, the emailaddress is different for each of the different profiles. Alternatively,an expanded PID could be used as a sub-profile reference to identify oneof the different profiles. For example, if the user had a PID of 010,then the expanded PID for a business profile could be referenced as010-1 (“-1” can be considered an extension), the expanded PID for apersonal profile could be referenced as 010-2, and the expanded PID fora corporation profile could be referenced as 010-3.

FIG. 19A is a representative screen illustration of a rolodex featureaccording to another embodiment of the invention. The screenillustration shows a rolodex icon 1900 as being selected, thusindicating that the client-side application is in the rolodex featuremode. The screen illustration includes a card display area 1902 thatdisplays the contact card for the registered user. In a case of multiplerepresentations, the registered user could have a personal contact card,a business contact card and a corporation contact card. To facilitatethe registered user in selecting between the multiple profiles on theclient-side application, selection buttons 1904-1908 are displayed onthe screen illustration shown in FIG. 19A. The selection button 1904selects the personal profile, the selection button 1906 selects thebusiness profile, and the selection button 1908 selects the corporationprofile. As shown in FIG. 19A, the card display area 1902 is displayingthe business profile associated with the registered user.

Each of the one or more profiles that are associated with a registereduser can contain information beyond the contact information. Thisadditional information can be of a variety of types and formats. Forexample, the additional information can pertain to text, images,graphics, video and other multimedia types. The additional informationalso could be packaged within a HTML wrapper that would containreferences or links to the additional information. The additionalinformation could also be provided as additional cards. As shown in FIG.19A, the card display area 1902 includes an additional informationdesignation area 1910 that informs the user whether there is additionalinformation associated with the currently selected contact card beingdisplayed in the card display area 1902. The additional informationdesignation area 1910 illustrated in FIG. 19A shows that the selectedcontact card has four additional cards of information associatedtherewith. By selecting one of the additional cards, the additionalinformation or links to the additional information are displayed in thecard display area 1902. In the case of links, the links can point toeither a local database of information or a remote server.

FIG. 19A-1 is a representative screen illustration of an additional card1920 of information according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. The additional card 1920 contains a link 1922 to a website, amultimedia button 1924 for an audio or video clip, various text objects1926, and a graphic (picture) 1928. Additional cards (or deck) can thusbe created, edited and viewed using the client-side application. Theadditional cards can be composed to include objects such as text,graphics (pictures), links, video, audio, tables, frames, etc.

Hence, while the contact information may be represented in the form of acommon display format (such as a business card format), additionalinformation can be associated with the common display format. The commondisplay format serves as a reference point for information thatoriginates from a user or a business entity; essentially the point ofcontact. Every user and their contacts would use the same display formatto reference their contacts. In one embodiment, the common displayformat is a card. Those cards holding additional information can bereferred to as container cards. The invention also allows the users toembed additional information when they exchange or impart their contactinformation or profile through use of cards. The additional informationmay contain any number of data types, including text, graphics, images,multimedia (audio/video), telephony, fax, HTML, XML, Applets, and httplinks. These data types can reference datatypes or data objects withinthe same card or within a deck of cards (local or remote). The user mayalso add multiple cards, each card may be linked to the previous card.The ability to embed new datatypes within the context of additionalcontainer cards referenced to the reference card truly makes all datatypes representable and presentable to all parties in a consistentmanner. The ability of container cards to embed common datatypes thatpossess the ability to affect other datatypes within the same containercard, or within the same deck or on remote machines provides anextremely powerful architecture.

The embedded data types may be visible or invisible and may be addedeither at design time or added dynamically at run time. The containercards may be as simple as XML/HTML code that can simply be imported fromsome standard XML/HTML parser or can themselves be entire applicationsand Applets (Java) wrapped together and represented in the commondisplay format. A data type object is a higher class abstraction of adata type with predefined behavior properties that when executed,perform some pre-defined actions and events. Additionally, these eventsare able to influence and affect the behavior of other objects withinthe same card, deck of cards or within objects embedded in cards onremote servers that are programmed to understand common events andactions. For example, an audio data type object is a class of audioobject whose format is of “.wav” and of type: 8 bit compressed. Theformat and type are properties that may be set at design or run time.The same audio object has multiple predefined events that are fired atthe relevant point in the execution of the run time behavior of theobject. For example, the audio object has been preset to play ADPCM 16bit files and has been defined to understand the following events:OnClick, OnStartAudio, OnEndAudio, OnPauseAudio. As an example, thisaudio object can be embedded in a container card with an image objectthat is programmed with design/run time properties that will present a‘slide-show’ synchronized to the OnClick, OnPauseAudio and OnEndAudio ofcertain music segments being played.

The client-side application allows these ‘Deck of Cards’ to be easilycreated. Each card can be given a name and referenced by that name. Foreach card, the user may add the required data types by first selectingthe data type (e.g., text, graphics, audio, etc.) and then clicking on acanvas area for the card. Once the data type is dropped onto the canvasarea, it can be dragged and placed at the desired location. By doubleclicking that data type icon, a new dialog window is presented that willbe used to select additional properties or input data for that datatype. For example, when a text data type is dropped on the canvas area,a double click action brings up a dialog window where the text stringmay be entered, together with the ability to dictate properties such asfont size, font color, etc. Similarly, when a link data type is selectedand placed onto the canvas area, a double click action brings out adialog box that permits the user to enter an address related to the textlink (or bitmap link) that can be a redirection to a remote web site orit could be a local reference to a HTML file.

The information management and distribution system can also include acorporate administrator application. The corporate administratorapplication is downloaded or obtained in ways similar to how theclient-side application is obtained as discussed above. An administratoroperates the corporate administrator application which executes on thelocal machine associated with the administrator. The corporateadministrator application can include many of the features associatedwith the client-side application, including creation and design,rolodex, exchange, and update features. For example, the administratormay wish to update a corporate contact that has been previouslydistributed or exchanged.

FIG. 19B is a block diagram of a network information management anddistribution system 1950 according to another embodiment of theinvention. The network information management and distribution system1950 is generally similar to the network information management anddistribution system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. Additionally, however,the network information management and distribution system 1950 includesan administrator machine 1952 that connects to the Internet 108 throughan intermediate 1954. The administrator machine 1952 administersinformation and management of information pertaining to a businessentity. The intermediate 1954 can refer to any of a number of networksor network devices, including a Local Area Network (LAN), a corporateIntranet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wireless data network, and anInternet Service Provider (ISP). It should be noted that other networksbesides the Internet can be used to interconnect the server machine 102with the administrative machine 1952. Here, the server machine 102provides for storage and management of content information for aplurality of users. The content information can pertain to not onlyindividuals but also corporate users.

The distribution of the content information at the server machine 102can be operate as described above. Alternatively, the distribution ofthe corporate contact information can be performed as follows. First,the user of the requestor machine 104 makes a request for corporatecontact information to the server machine 102 through the Internet 108.Second, when the server machine 102 receives the request from therequestor machine 104, the server machine 102 determines that therequestor is seeking to receive the corporate contact information forthe user of the requested party machine 106. In this example, the userof the requested party machine is also an employee of the businessentity associated with the corporate contact information. As notedabove, the user may have multiple representations such as personal,business and corporate. Here, the request would be to receive thecorporate representation of the user (employee) with respect to theiremployer. Such a corporate representation would include the corporatecontact information. The server machine 102 then proceeds to query theuser of the requested party machine 106 whether the distribution of itscorporate contact information is permitted. If the user of the requestedparty machine 106 replies that the distribution is permitted, then theserver machine 102 forwards the corporate contact information for theuser of the requested party machine 106 from the server machine 102 tothe requestor machine 104 through the Internet 108. Upon receiving thecorporate contact information for the user of the requested partymachine 106, the requestor machine 104 locally stores the corporatecontact information in the requestor machine 104. Alternatively, if theuser of the requested party machine 106 replies that the distribution isnot permitted, then the server machine 102 sends a notification to therequestor machine 104 to inform the user that the request for corporatecontact information from the user of the requested party machine 106 isdenied. Optionally, instead of the one-way distribution of the contactinformation, contact information of both users of the requestor machine104 and the requested party machine 106 can be exchanged (i.e., two-waydistribution).

Accordingly, the distribution of corporate contact information iscontrolled by the “owner” of the information which would normally be anemployee. As such, contact information is able to be electronicallytransmitted to those users that are approved and not to those users thatare not approved. However, the administrator of the corporate contactinformation is responsible for control over at least the basic corporatecontact information so that the corporate image (e.g., appearance, logo,etc.) are consistent and centrally controlled. The administrator also isable to limit availability of the contact information to employees.

Additionally, should the contact information need to be changed, thechanges can be made and then the server machine can proceed to updatethe previously transmitted contact information. As an example, theupdating of the contact information at the administrator machine 1952produces altered contact information that is forwarded and stored on theserver machine 102. Then, the server machine 102 can distribute thealtered content information through the Internet 108 to all of thoserequestors machines that previously received (and this store) thecontact information which is now outdated, thereby updating the contentinformation for the user of the requested party machine 106 on thevarious requestor machines. As an example, the administrator may updatethe corporate contract information to change the corporate address. Insuch case, those registered users having previously received wouldreceive the updated corporate contact information (or at least anotification of its availability). In addition, the administrator canalso cause notifications, announcements or advertisements to bedistributed to registered users in any of a number of ways. Theadministrator can also disable contact information for particularemployees of the business entity.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of corporate administrator applicationprocessing 2000 according to an embodiment of the invention. Thecorporate administrator application processing 2000 is, for example,performed by a corporate administrator application. The corporateadministrator application executes on an administrator machine (e.g.,administrator machine 1952) associated with an administrator. Moregenerally, the administrator machine is a local machine. Theadministrator is charged with administration of the informationmanagement and exchange system for the corporation (or other businessentity). Although the administrator application is referred to as acorporate administrator application, it should be noted that thecorporate administrator application is not limited to a corporation andthus any suitable business entity can be used.

The corporate administrator application processing 2000 initiallysearches 2002 a local machine for a corporate identifier (CID). Thelocal machine being searched is the local machine on which the corporateadministrator application is installed. A decision block 2004 thendetermines whether the CID has been found. When the decision block 2004determines that a CID has not been found, then local corporateregistration processing is performed 2006. The local corporateregistration processing causes the administrator to perform thecorporate registration before the corporate administrator processing2000 can perform its normal processing. Following block 2006, thecorporate administrator application processing 2000 is restarted.

Alternatively, when the decision block 2004 determines that the CID hasbeen found, then the normal processing provided by the corporateadministrator application 2000 can be performed. Namely, the localmachine is connected 2008 to a server machine (e.g., the server machine102). This connection is performed over a network. In one embodiment,the network includes the Internet. Often, the network will also includea corporate network, such as a LAN, that connects the local machine tothe Internet.

Next, a decision block 2010 determines whether the administrator desiresto design a corporate contact card. The corporate contact card containsthe contact information for the corporation (or other business entity).The corporate information is presented in a contact card that provides acommon format for the information. When the decision block 2010determines that the administrator desires to design a corporate contactcard, then processing to design corporate contact card processing isperformed 2012. Following block 2012, the corporate administratorapplication 2000 processing returns to repeat the decision block 2010and subsequent blocks.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2010 determines that theadministrator does not desire to design a corporate contact card, then adecision block 2014 determines whether the administrator desires toassociate employees to the corporation. When the decision block 2014determines that the administrator desires to associate employees to thecorporation, processing to associate employees to the corporate contactcard is performed 2016. There are a variety of ways to associateemployees to a corporation or the corporate contact card. Such waysinclude importing employee data into the corporate administratorapplication, manually entering the employee data by the administrator,or having the employees enter their employee information using theirclient-side application associated with their local machines.

Alternatively, when the decision block 2014 determines that theadministrator does not desire to associate employees to the corporation,a decision block 2018 determines whether a notification request is beingmade. When the decision block 2018 determines that a notificationrequest has been made, then notification and disable processing isperformed 2020.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2018 determines that therehas been no notification request, a decision block 2022 determineswhether the administrator desires to disable employee cards. When thedecision block 2022 determines that the administrator desires to disableemployee cards, then disable employee cards processing is performed2024. Alternatively, when the decision block 2022 determines that theadministrator does not desire to disable employee cards, as well asfollowing the block 2016, the block 2022 or the block 2024, a decisionblock 2026 determines whether an exit has been requested. When theadministrator has requested to exit the corporate administratorapplication, the corporate administrator application processing 2000 iscomplete and ends. Alternatively, when the decision block 2026determines that the administrator has not requested to exit thecorporate administrator application, the corporate administratorapplication processing 2000 returns to repeat decision block 2010 andsubsequent blocks.

Although not shown in FIG. 20, the corporate administrator applicationcan also perform some or all of the functions or features of theclient-side application. For example, the functions or features includecreation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of local corporate registration processingaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The local corporateregistration processing 2100 is, for example, the processing associatedwith the block 2006 illustrated in FIG. 20. The local corporateregistration processing 2100 is performed on a local machine that isassociated with an administrator of the information management anddistribution system (e.g., the administrator machine 1952).

The local corporate registration processing 2100 initially identifies2102 a system administrator. The system administrator is the individualwho will administer the information management and distribution system.In other words, the system administrator will be responsible formaintaining the corporate contact information as well as for supervisingand verifying the usage of the corporate contact information by thevarious employees of the corporation.

Following block 2102, a corporate profile screen is displayed 2104.Then, the administrator completes 2106 the corporate profile byinteracting with the corporate profile screen being displayed to entercorporate profile information for a corporate profile. Next, a decisionblock 2108 determines whether the administrator has requested to submitthe corporate profile to the server machine. When the decision block2108 determines that the administrator has not requested to submit thecorporate profile, then the processing returns to repeat the block 2106and subsequent blocks.

On the other hand, once the decision block 2108 determines that theadministrator has requested to submit the corporate profile to theserver machine, the local machine that performs the local corporateregistration processing 2100 is connected 2110 to the server machine.Then, the corporate profile information along with informationpertaining to the system administrator are sent 2112 to the servermachine.

Next, a decision block 2114 determines whether the corporate profile hasbeen accepted by the server machine. When the decision block 2114determines that the server machine has not accepted the corporateprofile, then an error screen is displayed 2116 on the local machine.Following block 2116, the local corporate registration processing 2100returns to repeat the block 2106 and subsequent blocks so that theadministrator can retry the creation and submission of the corporateprofile.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2114 determines that thecorporate profile has been accepted, the CID file is received 2118 fromthe server machine. Here, upon receiving the corporate profile that hasbeen submitted, the server machine operates to produce a uniquecorporate identifier (CID). The CID file is then transmitted from theserver machine to the local machine that is performing the localcorporate registration processing 2100. Hence, in block 2118, the CIDfile is received 2118 from the server machine. Then, the CID file isstored 2120 on the local machine. The user is next instructed 2122 torestart the corporate administrator application so that the processingperforms the corporate administrator application processing 2000illustrated in FIG. 20. Following block 2122, the local corporateregistration processing 2100 is complete and ends.

The corporate profile information is typically presented to registeredusers in a card format (i.e., corporate contact card). Specifically, arepresentative card format is a business card format. The designing of acorporate contact card is similar to the designing of a personal contactcard and thus the processing described above with respect to FIG. 9 isalso suitable for designing the corporate contact card. However,typically, a corporate contact card will include a company logo which isa particular graphic image that may be scanned or imported during thebusiness card creation processing and thus placed on the corporatecontact card. Additionally, as also noted above, additional informationcan be added to the contact cards or contact information associated withthe cards. The additional information can take a variety of forms,including web page links, HTML documents, various messages,notifications and advertisements.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram of employee association processing 2200according to an embodiment of the invention. The employee associationprocessing 2200 is, for example, performed by the block 2016 illustratedin FIG. 20. The employee association processing 2200 is also performedby the administrator of the information management and distributionsystem.

The employee association processing 2200 initially begins with adecision block 2202. The decision block 2202 determines whether theadministrator desires to input employee data so as to create employeecards. When the decision block 2202 determines that the administratordoes desire to import employee data, then employee information isimported 2204 from a legacy database. Typically, a corporation will havea database that includes information about its employees. Hence, here,the ability to import employee information from such a database resultsin a substantial time savings in the registration of the employees withthe information management and distribution system. Next, the employeeassociation processing 2200 can operate to automatically create 2206 theemployee cards (i.e., employee contact cards) using the employeeinformation that has been imported. For example, while the corporatecontact card has some common corporate contact information (e.g.,corporate name, corporate address, company logo, etc.), the employeecards may need to add information such as employee name, title of job,work telephone number, work facsimile number and work email address.This type of information is often available from a legacy database andthus can be imported then used to automatically create the employeecards. Following block 2206, the employee cards are sent 2208 to theserver system. The server system is the central depository for all ofthe contact information associated with the information management anddistribution system. Hence, the employee cards that have been createdare sent 2208 to the server system. Following block 2208, the employeeassociation processing 2200 is complete and ends.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2202 determines that theadministrator does not desire to import employee data, a decision block2210 determines whether the administrator desires to manually enter oneor more employees into the information management and distributionsystem. When the decision block 2210 determines that manual entry isdesired, then one or more employee cards are manually created 2212.Following block 2212, the employee association processing 2200 performsthe block 2208 and subsequent blocks. Alternatively, when the decisionblock 2210 determines that manual entry is not desired, then a decisionblock 2214 determines whether an exit is requested. When theadministrator requests to exit the employee association processing 2200,the employee association processing 2200 is complete and ends. On theother hand, when the administrator does not desire to exit the employeeassociation processing 2200, the employee association 2200 processingreturns to repeat the decision block 2202 and subsequent blocks.

Besides importing data or the administrator manually entering employeedata, another approach is to have employees enter their employeeinformation from their local machines. Typically, the employees willalso interact with the information management and distribution systemusing the client-side application executing on their local machine. InFIG. 19A, for example, the corporate representation (employee card)could be selected for display by the client-side application byselection of the selection button 1908. Hence, by providing theemployees with the corporate identifier (CID) and perhaps a password,the employees are able to individually create their own employee cardsusing the corporate profile as a base. Although the employee is able tobuild off of the corporate profile as a base, the corporate profile orcard is not able to be altered by the employees. After the employeeshave created their employee cards using the corporate profile as a base,the employee cards would be sent to the administrator for approval andthen, upon approval, the employee cards would be forwarded to the serversystem for storage.

FIG. 23 is flow diagram of notification and disable processing 2300according to an embodiment of the invention. The notification anddisable processing 2300 is, for example, processing performed by theblock 2020 illustrated in FIG. 20.

The notification and disable processing 2300 begins with a decisionblock 2302. The decision block 2302 determines whether an announcementtype notification is requested. When the decision block 2302 determinesthat an announcement type notification is requested, then anannouncement is prepared 2304. After preparing the announcement, adistribution approach is selected 2306. As examples, the distributionapproach can be email, facsimile, or as additional informationassociated with a contact card (e.g., a notification card). Then, adistribution request is sent 2308 to the server system. The distributionrequest operates to request that the server system distribute theannouncement using the distribution approach selected to one or more ofthe registered users.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2302 determines that anannouncement-type notification is not requested, as well as followingthe block 2308, a decision block 2310 determines whether anadvertisement-type notification is requested. When the decision block2310 determines that an advertisement-type notification is requested,then the notification and disable processing 2300 operates to prepare orretrieve 2312 an advertisement. Then, a distribution approach isselected 2314 for the advertisement. As examples, the distributionapproach can be email, facsimile, or as additional informationassociated with a contact card (e.g., a notification card). Next, adistribution is sent 2316 to the server system, requesting thedistribution of the advertisement.

Alternatively, when the decision block 2310 determines that anadvertisement-type notification is not requested, as well as followingthe block 2316, a decision block 2318 determines whether there is arequest to disable a contact. When the decision block 2318 determinesthat there is a request to disable a contact, the employee card to bedisabled is identified 2320. Then, the extent of disablement isdetermined 2322. For example, the disablement could be temporary orpermanent. Also, the disablement could render the card inactive butstill viewable, or could render the card totally unviewable, or couldsuperimpose graphics or text on the card indicating that the card shouldno longer be used, etc. Following block 2322, a disable request is sent2324 to the server system.

On the other hand, when the decision block 2318 determines that adisable request has not been received, as well as following the block2324, a decision block 2326 determines whether an exit has beenrequested. When the decision block 2326 determines that an exist has notbeen requested, then the notification and disable processing 2300returns to repeat the decision block 2302 and subsequent blocks. On theother hand, when the decision block 2326 determines that an exit hasbeen requested, then the notification and disable processing 2300 iscomplete and ends.

In general, any of the processing that could be done by the client-sideapplication or administrator application by either the requestor or therequested party could also be done by interacting with the websiteserver using a network browser. The registration, rolodex, exchange(including request, authorization and completion), and update could, forexample, all be achieved by either or both of the client-sideapplication or the network browser together with the website server. Inthe case of a network browser implementation, local storage (e.g., localcontact information storage 316) of the contact information (andadditional information) is not needed because such information is storedcentrally not locally. In one network browser implementation, theclient-side application (e.g., client-side application 306) is performedby scripts (e.g., JavaScript or VB script) or plug-ins operating on thenetwork browser or the website server, thus there is no need in such animplementation to download and install a client-side application. Theclient controller (e.g., client controller 302) can also be performed byscripts or plug-ins with the network browser. For example, in the caseof an exchange request as noted above, the exchange of contactinformation can be initiated (blocks 1104-1106) by a requestorinteracting with the client-side application. In such case, therequestor can, for example, enter the first name, last name and emailaddress of the individual with whom an exchange of contact informationis desired. However, when the exchange of contact information isinitiated through the website server, the requestor would also need toidentify him/herself to the website server. As an example, to initiatean exchange by way of the website server, the requestor wouldadditionally need to indicate the first name, last name, the PID, andemail address of the requestor himself. However, in all likelihood, therequestor would also be required to enter a password so thatunauthorized exchanges do not occur.

Security features can also be optionally provided with the invention.The security features can ensure that the registered users are providedwith the opportunity to encode or encrypt information being transferredbetween the client-side application and the system server. The receivingside would then also be able to decode or decrypt the receivedinformation.

Moreover, in some cases, a registered user may desire to interact withthe system server using different remote machines. In such case, apassword protected log in can be used to permit the user to access thesystem server. However, to keep the various client-side applicationssynchronized with the other client-side application or the interactionswith the website server, the system server will store and eventuallyecho back all changes made during the remote log in.

The advantages of the invention are numerous. Several advantages thatembodiments of the invention may include are as follows. One advantageof the invention is that the distribution of information takes place inan automated fashion, which is particularly advantageous when largenumbers of users are involved. Another advantage of the invention isthat the parties involved in the distribution can control thedistribution process so that only approved distributions occur. Stillanother advantage of the invention is that updates to previouslydistributed information can also be automated. Yet another advantage ofthe invention is that the information being exchanged is useful forenabling registered persons to efficiently contact the personsassociated with the information using a mechanism which they haveprescribed. Another advantage of the invention is that contact andadditional information can be distributed to users in a common format.Still yet another advantage of the invention is that an administratorcan control the distribution and use of corporate (i.e., businessentity) information.

The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparentfrom the written description, and thus, it is intended by the appendedclaims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction and operation as illustrated and described.Hence, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to asfalling within the scope of the invention.

1. A computer system that supports controlled exchange over a network ofdigital content information pertaining to a plurality of users, thecomputer system comprising: a networked server system accessible byremote user devices via the network, the networked server systemcomprising at least one processor and at least one memory storingexecutable program instructions; and one or more databases accessible bythe networked server system and storing content information and exchangesettings of registered users; the networked server system beingprogrammed, via the executable program instructions, to: (a) store inthe one or more databases the content information received from a firstuser for association with the first user, the content informationcomprising profile information about the first user and additionalmultimedia content of a plurality of data types, the content informationcomprising multiple data items which each correspond to a differentsubset of the content information; (b) store in the one or moredatabases the exchange settings received from the first user forspecifying access to one or more of the multiple data items of thecontent information to one or more categories of requesting users so asto define one or more user profiles containing those of the one or moreof the multiple data items specified as being accessible to a particularcategory of the requesting users; (c) receive a request from a seconduser to permit the exchange of content information with the first user;(d) send an electronic notification of the requested exchange to thefirst user; (e) provide an option for the first user to permit therequested exchange of the content information; and (f) receivepermission for the requested exchange from the first user; and (g)establish the second user as a contact of the first user and provide thefirst user and the second user access to each of their respective userprofiles via the network, wherein the second user is provided access tothe particular user profile previously specified by the first user'sexchange settings for a category of requesting users to which the seconduser has been associated by the first user.
 2. The computer system ofclaim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to provide auser control that enables the first user to select the user profile of aparticular contact, in response to which the networked server systemprovides the selected user profile for display in a profile display areaof a user interface.
 3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein thenetworked server system is programmed to allow the contacts of the firstuser to be organized into at least one category.
 4. The computer systemof claim 3, wherein the networked server system is programmed to applyprofile exchange settings received from the first user for the at leastone category.
 5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the at leastone category comprises one or more of a friend category, a businessassociate category and a family member category.
 6. The computer systemof claim 3, wherein the at least one category includes a user definedcustom category, the networked server system being configured to allowthe first user to associate at least one contact with the customcategory.
 7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the at least onecategory includes at least one system defined category and a userdefined custom category, the networked server system being configured toallow the first user to associate at least one contact with one or moreof the at least one system defined category and the user defined customcategory.
 8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networkedserver system is programmed to allow the first user to pre-authorize oneor more categories of users to access one or more of the multiple dataitems of the first user's content information without separate approvalby the first user of individual exchange requests.
 9. The computersystem of claim 8, wherein the one or more categories of users includesa category comprising all users of the service such that the first useris allowed to specify a particular user profile that is accessible toall users without separate approval by the first user of individualexchange requests.
 10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein thenetworked server system is programmed to provide an option for the firstuser to provide instructions identifying a category of requesting userswith which the second user is to be associated in response to receivingthe notification of a requested exchange and to thereby grant the seconduser access to the particular user profile previously authorized by thefirst user's exchange settings for the identified category of requestingusers.
 11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the additionalmultimedia content includes a plurality of data objects which providecontrols for allowing contacts of the first user to interact with theadditional multimedia content.
 12. The computer system of claim 11,wherein the plurality of data types includes data types corresponding toone or more of graphics, images, audio, video, HTML code, XML code,applications, frames, Applets or http links.
 13. The computer system ofclaim 12, wherein at least one of the one or more user profiles containsa plurality of embedded applications or Applets having predefinedruntime behaviors.
 14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein thenetworked server system provides a portal for a user to initiate anon-line chat with one or more of the user's respective contacts.
 15. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system providesa portal for a user to compose and send an instant message or emailmessage to one or more of the user's respective contacts.
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system providesa portal for a user of the networked server system to conduct a videoconference with one or more of the user's respective contacts.
 17. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system isprogrammed to allow the first user to change the content informationreceived from the first user and changes are reflected automatically inthe profile information when the user profile of the first user issubsequently displayed via a user interface to contacts of the firstuser.
 18. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked serversystem is programmed to dynamically provide multimedia content fordisplay along with at least one of the one or more user profiles via auser interface.
 19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein thedynamically provided multimedia content comprises one or moreadvertisements.
 20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein thedynamically provided multimedia content is of a data type correspondingto one or more of graphics, images, audio, video, HTML code, XML code,applications, frames, Applets or http links.
 21. A computer system thatsupports controlled exchange over a network of digital contentinformation pertaining to a plurality of users, the computer systemcomprising: a networked server system accessible by remote user devicesvia the network, the networked server system comprising at least oneprocessor and at least one memory storing executable programinstructions; and one or more databases accessible by the networkedserver system and storing content information and exchange settings ofregistered users; the networked server system being programmed, via theexecutable program instructions, to: (a) store in the at least onedatabase the content information received from a first user forassociation with the first user, the content information profiling thefirst user, the content information comprising multiple data items whicheach correspond to a different subset of the content information; (b)store in the at least one database the exchange settings received fromthe first user for specifying access to one or more of the multiple dataitems of the content information to one or more categories of requestingusers so as to define one or more user profiles containing those of theone or more of the multiple data items specified as being accessible toa particular category of the requesting users; (c) receive a requestfrom a second user to permit the exchange of content information withthe first user; (d) determine whether the first user permits therequested exchange of content information; and (e) establish the seconduser as a contact of the first user and provide the first user and thesecond user access to each others respective user profiles via thenetwork, wherein the second user is provided access to the particularuser profile of the first user previously specified by the first user'sexchange settings for a category of requesting users to which the seconduser has been associated by the first user.
 22. The computer system ofclaim 6, wherein the networked server system is configured to allow thefirst user to create a user defined name for the custom category. 23.The computer system of claim 1 wherein the networked server system isfurther configured to: allow the first user to create a group, the groupincluding members comprising a plurality of users which have beenestablished as contacts of the first user; and store in the one or moredatabases group member information received from the first user, thegroup member information including data identifying the plurality ofusers that are to be included as the members of the group.
 24. Thecomputer system of claim 23, wherein the networked server system isfurther configured to provide group content information for display tothe members of the group.
 25. The computer system of claim 24, whereinthe group content information comprises information pertaining to thegroup, the members or both.
 26. The computer system of claim 24, whereinthe group content information comprises a message intended for themembers of the group.
 27. The computer system of claim 24 wherein thegroup content information is of a data type corresponding to one or moreof graphics, images, audio, video, HTML code, XML code, applications,frames, Applets or http links.
 28. The computer system of claim 23,wherein the networked server system is configured to allow the firstuser to create a user defined name for the group.
 29. The computersystem of claim 23, wherein the networked server system is configured toallow a member of the group to initiate an on-line chat.
 30. Thecomputer system of claim 23, wherein the networked server system isconfigured to allow a group member to initiate an email.
 31. Thecomputer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system isconfigured to provide access to at least one of the multiple data itemsof the content information to a third user according to permissioncontrolled by the first user.
 32. The computer system of claim 31,wherein the third user is a group, business or organization.
 33. Thecomputer system of claim 31, wherein the networked server system isconfigured to receive the permission controlled by the first user toprovide the access to the at least one of the multiple data items of thecontent information.
 34. The computer system of claim 31, wherein thenetworked server system is configured to store in the one or moredatabases access settings received from the first user, the accesssettings specifying the at least one of the multiple data items of thecontent information that will be permitted for access.
 35. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow thecontacts of the first user to be organized into two or more categories,wherein the networked server system is programmed to maintain profileexchange settings for each of the two or more categories, and whereinthe networked server system is configured to apply the profile exchangesettings to control access of the second user to the content informationof the first user based on the category of the second user.
 36. Thesystem of claim 35, wherein the networked server system is configured toallow the first user to create a user defined name for one or more ofthe two or more categories.
 37. The system of claim 21 wherein thenetworked server system is further configured to: allow the first userto create a group, the group including a plurality of users which havebeen established as contacts of the first user; and store in the one ormore databases group member information received from the first user,the group member information including data identifying the plurality ofusers that are to be included in the group.
 38. The system of claim 37,wherein the networked server system is further configured to providegroup content information for display to the plurality of users withinthe group.
 39. The system of claim 38 wherein the group contentinformation is of a data type corresponding to one or more of video,applications, frames, links or Applets.
 40. The system of claim 38,wherein the networked server system is configured to allow the firstuser to create a user defined name for the group.
 41. The system ofclaim 23, wherein the networked server system is configured to allow oneuser of the group to initiate communication with another user of thegroup.
 42. The system of claim 21, wherein the networked server systemis configured to provide access to at least one of the multiple dataitems of the content information to a third user according to permissioncontrolled by the first user.